Machines for producing ice

ABSTRACT

A machine for producing ice for use in cold drinks and the like which machine is adapted to accommodate interchangeable augers wherein the upper ends of the auger blades are located varying distances from the upper, discharge end of the freezing chamber so that the ice can be discharged from said chamber in varying degrees of hardness, depending upon its intended use, and utilizing interchangeable augers of varying diameters to form ice chunks or pieces of different desired thicknesses, and which machine is adapted to have an elongated tube secured thereon for delivery of the ice to a remote location.

United States Patent [72] inventor Howard L. Lunde Harbor Road, Oconto, Wis. 54153 21 Appl. No. 31,666 [22] Filed Apr. 24, 1970 [45] Patented Dec. 28, 1971 [54] MACHINES FOR PRODUCING ICE 10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Ci. 62/320,

62/ 3 54 [51] lnt.Cl F25c 1/14 [50] Field of Search ..62/354, 320

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,276,223 10/1966 Lunde 62/320 2,597,5 5 l 5 1952 11115611 625154 3,256,710 6/1966 lJedricksetai 62/320 3,371,505 3/1968 Raveret al 62/320 2,426,368 8/1947 Mayne 6161. 62/354 ux ,Primary Examiner-William E. Wayner Att0meyMorsell & Morsell upon its intended use, and utilizing interchangeable augers of varying diameters to form ice chunks or pieces of different desired thicknesses, and which machine is adapted to have an :elongated tube secured thereon for delivery of the ice to a remote location.

PATENTEDueczam: 3;530,045

SHEET 1 [1F 2 INVENTOR HOWARD L. LUNDE WwM ATTORNEYS PATENTEDnmemn 3,630,045

sum 2 0F 2 INVENTOR HOWARD L. LUNDE ATTORNEYS i Y MACHINE FOR PRODUCING ICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to machines for automatically producing chipped, nugget, flaked, or snow ice such as is used with cold drinks or drinking water, as well as other uses.

2. Description of the Prior Art Heretofore most machines intended for producing ice for commercial establishments or institutions such as restaurants; .bars, or hospitals, have been designed to produce only onelj form of ice, as for example chipped ice, and if it is desired to obtain flaked or snow ice, or ice nuggets, it has heretofore: been necessary to obtain additional ice-producing machines specifically designed for said purposes. Moreover, such prior machines are designed to produce ice pieces of a certain predetermi ed size, and variation in the size of the fqr m ed chunks or pieces is impossible with most of said conventionalzf ice-making machines. An exception is the machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,276,223, issued Oct. 4, 1966 to the present? applicant. Even with the latter machine, however, wherein the hardness and size of the ice nuggets can be varied as desired, it, is impossible to produce chipped, flaked, or snow ice with the same basic machine.

Other prior US. patents relating to ice-producing machines of the general type herein concerned include: Soderberg U.S. Pat. No. 3,205,673 and Keller US. Pat. No. 2,962,878.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a versatile new automatic ice-producing machine wherein the same basic machine unit can be readily adapted to produce either chipped, nugget, flaked or snow ice, depending upon the customers requirements, merely by the use of specially designed ice-conveying augers which can be readily interchangeably installed therein, and wherein the desired density, hardness, water content, and even the thickness of the ice can be achieved through the use of such interchangeable augers.

A more specific object of the present invention is to providef an ice-producing machine designed to removably accom modate either: an auger wherein the upper terminus of the helical blade thereon is positioned substantially below the:

said freezing chamber a sufficient length of time to ensure it frozen extremely hard before it is discharged and formed into} chips or nuggets; an auger wherein the upper terminus of the blade is located above the top of the freezing chamber so that. the ice is discharged from said chamber in a relatively soft, slushy, snowlike condition; or an auger wherein the blade upper end is located approximately adjacent the freezing chamber upper end so that the discharged ice is of a density. .and hardness intermediate the extremes described. Thus for{ the first time there is provided a versatile machine which is .readily adaptable to produce ice of varying degrees of hardness and water content, depending upon the specific intended use of the ice.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved ice-producing machine which is designed to interchangeably accommodate ice-conveying augers of varying diameters, thereby pennitting the production of ice pieces or chunks of different thickness, depending upon the require-' .ments of the particular installation.

A further object is to provide a versatile new icemakingl "machine which is adapted to interchangeably accommodate {ice-conveying augers of different styles, for the purposes Zdescribed, which machine can be quickly and easily disassembled for the removal and replacement of said interchangeable auger members.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide a novel automatic ice-producing machine which is mounted thereon for directing and conveying the formed ice ipieces to an adjacent room or other remote location.

i A further object is to provide an improved ice-producing machine which is designed for use with a discharge tube orfconduit, as described, which tube can be so positioned relative ,to the ice-receiving receptacle or storage container that the ,ice pieces are evenly and uniformly distributed within and iaround said container interior, in contrast to conventional ice-' {producing machines which merely dump or drop the formed ice haphazardly into the receptacle and wherein said ice accujmulates unevenly or in mounds therein, which is undesirable. i l Still further objects of the present invention are to provide a {versatile new ice-producing machine which is relatively simple 5 {and inexpensive in design and construction, which is reliable 5 .the present invention, showing the form of the invention upper end of the freezing chamber so that the ice is retained in;

.in operation, which is durable and long-lasting, and which im-- :proved machine is otherwise particularly well adapted for its intended purposes.

' IZ RIEF DES CRIFTIONOF DRAWING S i In the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

' FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view through the freezing chamber of the improved ice-producing machine comprising wherein the auger blade upper end terminates below the upper, discharge end of said freezing chamber; FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating the use of an auger wherein the upper end of the auger blade terminates above the top of the freezing chamber; FIG. 3 is a similar fragmentary vertical sectional view show-' ing an auger with its blade tenninating approximately in alignment with the freezing chamber upper end; FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the machine showing the use of an auger body of reduced diameter; and FIG. 5 is a side elevational and vertical sectional view illustrating the use of the machine with an elongated discharge itube for delivery of the formed ice pieces to a remote location.

* DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS drawings,

f Referring now more specifically to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the present invention includes a cylindrical housing containing a freezing chamber 10 which forms an integral component of an ice-producing machine, the upper end of said freezing chamber being designated by the numeral 17 in the drawing. A coiled copper evaporator conduit 11 surrounds said chamber 10 and is designed to carry freon or other suitable 'freezing agent, and rotatably carried within said cylindrical chamber is an auger 12 the body of which is of a diameter substantially less than the inner diameter of said cylindrical freez- =ing chamber. Formed on said auger body 12 is a helical flight ;or blade 13 of uniform pitch which is of a diameter only islightly less than the inside diameter of the cylinder 10, thereby providing a very slight space between the outer peripheral edge of said auger blade and the inside wall of the cylinder in order to remove ice layers from said inside wall surface without direct contact between said auger blade and lcylinder wall. Said auger 12 is mounted on an auger shaft in- ;cluding a lower portion 14 and an upper portion 15 of reduced fidiameter, said upper shaft portion projecting upwardly sub- }stantially beyond the freezing chamber, as shown.

The rotatable auger shaft is power-driven by any suitable means such as an electric motor (not shown) connected to the lower end portion 14 thereof which is geared to rotatably gdrive said auger at a predetermined relatively low rate of speed. The entire ice-producing unit is ordinarily housed in a :suitable attractive cabinet (not shown) formed of stainless "steel or the like, and includes a compressor, condenser, gear box, and refrigerant return line, etc., all of which is convendesigned to have an elongated conduit or flexible tube tional in the art.

Surrounding the lower portion 14 of the auger shaft and forming the bottom of the cylindrical housing in the present invention is a cuplike collar 18 which is screwed onto the threaded lower end of said housing. Said member 18 contains a ball bearing journal assembly 19 and a sealing ring 20 which is constantly urged upwardly by means of springs 21 into tight,

sealing engagement with an annular collar 16 on the auger lower portion, thereby providing a leakproof seal which effectively prevents the escape of water from the freezing chamber while permitting the rotatable motion of said auger shaft. Communicating with the lower portion of the freezing chamber is a water inlet pipe 24 which is connected to a suitable source of water, and mounted on the upper, discharge end of the housing in the illustrated embodiment of the invention is an elongated flexible discharge tube or conduit 35, the function of which will more fully described hereinafter. I 7

The upper, projecting end portion 15 of the auger shaft is of reduced diameter, as described, and mounted in surrounding relation thereover is a cap 25 within which said auger shaft upper portion 15 is rotatably joumaled, there preferably being a needle roller bearing assembly 22 or the like therefor. A plurality of O-type sealing rings 26 preferably surround said auger shaft upper portion to form a fluidtight seal, while securing said journal cap 25 in position are a plurality of spaced bolts '27 which project transversely inwardly through the wall of the housing and through a surrounding collar 28 to removably clampingly retain said cap in position. said bolts 27 also function as the means for breaking the ice into pieces or nuggets .during the operation of the present machine, as will be described hereinafter. In the preferred form of the invention there are four of said bolts 27 spaced around the periphery of .the freezing unit, although the exact number and spacing of said bolt members can be varied as desired and the invention is not to be limited in this respect.

In accordance with the present invention the entire freezing chamber assembly is permanently secured to an upright frame unit 31 by means of brackets 32 or the like, and said frame and freezing chamber can be tilted from the upright position illusjtrated in FIG. 1 to an angular position as shown in FIG. 5, the purpose of which will be described.

In the operation of an icemaking machine such as is illus-. 'trated in FIG. 1, water is introduced into the cylindrical freezing chamber 10 through the pipe 24, said chamber being filled to a point spaced somewhat below the upper end 17 thereof. Due to the presence of the freon or other refrigerant within the evaporator coils ll surrounding said chamber 10 the water therein is quickly turned to ice, initially forming an ice .coating on the inner wall surface of said cylindrical chamber} and eventually filling the entire annular space A between and the periphery of the auger 12.

During said ice-forming operation the rotation of the power-driven auger 12 forms a screw-type conveyor with the helical blade 13 thereon continuously urging said tubular ice mass in an upwardly direction. As the tubular mass of ice moves out of the freezing chamber it is intercepted by the transverse bolt shanks 27 which function to break up said ice into a multitude of chunks or pieces as the ice moves upwardly therepast. Said ice pieces are then forced out of the upper end of the housing by the action of said auger together with the continuously ascending ice mass therebelow, and are forcibly pushed through the tube into a receptacle or to a desired remote location, as will be more fully described hereinafter. During the ice-producing operation water is continuously illtroduced into the freezing chamber lower end through the pipe 24 to replace the formed ice, there being suitable valve means to ensure the water is maintained at a predetermined desired level in the chamber.

One of the peripheral features of novelty characterizing the present invention, as hereinabove mentioned, is that with the present machine it is possible to produce ice of varying degrees of hardness and water content merely by replacing the auger therein. In this respect with the auger 12 illustrated i n FIG. I it will be noted that the upper terminus 13 of the helical auger blade 13 is located substantially below the top 17 of the freezing chamber. Thus as said auger turns the tubular ice formation remains within the freezing chamber for a con- :siderable duration before it is urged out of the upper end of the housing by said auger blade, with the result that the formed ice is very hard and practically devoid of water in the liquid state. Such relatively hard ice is particularly well suited for use in mixed drinks in bars and restaurants and the like.

With reference now to FIG. 2 of the drawing, it will be noted that the auger l2 utilized therein features a helical blade 13 wherein the blade extreme upper end 13' is located substantially above the top 17 of the freezing area. As a conlsequence, in this form of the invention the ice column is pushed upwardly out of the top of the housing relatively lquickly, before it has an opportunity to become hard. The result is a soft, snowlike ice adapted for use with soft drinks or flavored liquids or syrups to form so-called snow cones of the 'ty sold in drive-ins and the like. H e

In FIG. 3 of the drawings there is illustrated still another auger design wherein the upper terminus 13 of the auger blade is located approximately in alignment with the upper end 17 of the freezing chamber. This auger blade arrangement produces ice of intermediate hardness, that is, between the extremely hard ice formed with the auger of FIG. I and the slushy snow ice produced by the auger design of FIG. 2.

From the above it will be seen that in accordance with the present invention there is provided a unique new ice-producing machine which is so designed that the same basic unit can be modified merely by the use of special interchangeable augers to provide ice of varying degrees of hardness and water content, depending upon the requirements of the particular ginstallation. Because of its relatively simple design and construction said machine can be quickly and easily disassembled lfor the removal and replacement of said auger members. In ilieu of replacing the entire auger if it should be desired to iPl'OdIlCB harder ice, as hereinabove described, it is also possilble to obtain the same result by merely milling or machining ldown the blade 13 on the existing auger so that the upper tergminus 13' thereof is located as desired relative to the top of {the freezing chamber. A further important advantageous feature of the present in- !vention is that in addition to varying the hardness of the ice, {the thickness and size of the ice pieces or chunks produced by jthe machine can also be altered as desired merely by the use of interchangeable angers in the same basic machine unit. In this lrespect, and as hereinabove described, the ice which forms in ,the freezing chamber ordinarily fills the space A (FIGS. 1-3) ibetween the auger body periphery and the inner wall of. the !cylindrical housing, and said distance A determines the .thickness of the resulting ice pieces. As is shown in FIG. 4 of lthe drawings, in lieu of utilizing the auger 12 of FIGS. 1-3, it is possible to employ an auger body of reduced diameter. Such a smaller-diameter auger provides an annular space 8" of greater width than the space A in FIGS. 1-3, with the result ithat a thicker ice column is formed, and which produces :thicker pieces or so-called nuggets as said ice column moves upwardly past the bolts 27 and is broken up thereby, as described. If it is desired to produce thinner pieces or chips an "auger body of increased diameter can be used, of course, thus reducing the annular space between the auger and the inner ;wall of the freezing chamber, and consequently providing an ice column of reduced thickness.

Another important innovation incorporated in the novel ice-producing machine comprising the present invention, and referring now to FIG. 5 of the drawings, is that an elongated flexible tube or conduit 35 can be readily mounted on the upper, discharge end of the cylindrical housing and directed to deliver the formed ice to any desired location. In the illustration, for example, the icemaking machine, which is mounted in a suitable cabinet 33, is located in one room 36 and said tube 35 is projected through an opening in the wall 37 into an adjacent room 38, where it is positioned to deposit the ice into an insulated bin or container 39. Such an arrangement is par-" limited or the temperature too high to permit the efficient production of ice. In such a case the ice-producing machine can be located in a remote location wherein space is not at a premium or where the temperature is more conductive to the fast and efficient production of ice, and the formed ice continuously delivered through the elongated tube 35 to the .kitchen or other area where it is to be used. A comparable situation is frequently found in hospitals, wherein it is necessa-. ry to have the ice supply in some convenient location, but wherein it is desired to have the ice-producing machine out of a sight, or in some remote location where there is more room.

It will be noted in FIG. 5 that the ice-producing machine is mounted at an angle from the vertical. Such an angular arrangement is preferred in order to minimize the amount of required deflection or bending of the elongated tube 35, which bends or kinks in said tube have been found to impede the passage of the ice therethrough. Thus the ability to mount the present machine at an angle, in contrast to most conven-- .tional icemaking machines which must be installed in a vertical position, is a further important feature of the present invention.

The elongated delivery tube 35 utilized in the present invention is preferably formed of a plastic material, as described, but other materials, including stainless steel, could also be utilized and the invention is not to be limited or confined in this respect. Similarly, while the tube 35 is shown in FIG. 1 to be merely wedge fitted over the upper, discharge end of the cylindrical housing, it could be clampingly retained thereon by means of the collar 28, or other means could be employed for removably securing said tube in position on the machine.

In addition to the use of the tube member 35 in the present invention to direct the formed ice to remote locations, as described, it has also been found that the use of said tube is advantageous in filling an adjacent receptacle or bin. In most conventional ice machines the formed ice is discharged laterally from the upper, side portion of the freezing chamberand merely falls haphazardly by gravity into an insulated storage compartment ordinarily housed within the cabinet, or immediately adjacent thereto. Unfortunately said ice tends to accumulate unevenly within the container or it tends to form in mounds therein, and in many containers which are provided with switch means for automatically deactivating the ice machine when the ice reaches a certain predetermined height in the bin the ice production is halted before the container is. properly filled. With the present invention, however, the flexible discharge tube 35 can be readily positioned to distribute the ice substantially evenly and uniformly about the interior of the bin or container. The result is more complete utilization of the total bin capacity, which is an important advantage of the present invention. In addition, with the present inventions wherein the formed ice is discharged upwardly from the top of the machine in contrast to conventional side-discharge ice machines, the tube 35 can be inserted through the bottom of an ice container or bin mounted thereabove, which is desirable in some installations and which is impossible with most machines in present use.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be seen that the novel ice-producing machine comprising the present invention provides a definite improvement in the art. With the. present versatile machine it is possible to automatically and continuously produce either chipped, flaked, or snow ice, ori

ice nuggets, depending upon the requirements of the particular customer, merely by the use of special augers which can be readily interchangeably installed therein, and wherein even the thickness of the formed ice pieces can be varied through the use of interchangeable augers of different predetermined diameters. Moreover, with the elongated flexibledischarge tube utilized with the present machine the formed ice pieces can be evenly and uniformly distributed in a container, and saidjge can even be conveyed to an adjacent room or other remote location.

Further advantages of the versatile new automatic icemaking machine comprising the present invention are that it is relatively simple in design and operation, it is reliable, and it is of rugged, durable construction.

It is to be understood that while a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described herein, numerous variations thereof will undoubtedly occur to those skilled in the art, and what is intended to be covered herein is not only the illustrated form of the invention but also any and all variations or modifications thereof as may come within the spirit of said invention.

What I claim is:

l. A machine for automatically producing either chipped, flaked, or snow ice, or ice nuggets, comprising: a cylindrical housing containing a freezing chamber having a coiled refrigerant conduit surrounding said freezing chamber, and having a water inlet adjacent the lower end of said chamber, said housing being adapted to have an auger removably axially rotatably mounted therein; a plurality of individually mountable and interchangeable auger assemblies removably mounta- :ble within said cylindrical housing, each of said auger assemblies including a body portion of substantially lesser diameter than the inner diameter of said freezing chamber to provide an annular space therebetween, a helical blade on each of said auger bodies of a diameter slightly less than the chamber inner ldiameter, said auger assemblies including an upper shaft portion of reduced diameter projecting above said freezing chamber and a lower shaft portion extending below said housing; power drive and reduction gear means operatively coninectable to the lower, projecting portion of said auger shafts Eadapted to rotatably drive said augers at a predetermined jspeed; a journal cap mountable in surrounding relation over' the upper, projecting end of said auger shafts, said shaft ends being rotatably joumaled therein; a plurality of bolts spaced ;around the periphery of said housing upper end and adapted to project transversely therethrough to removably retain said cap in position; and an elongated tube mounted on the top of said housing, said freezing chamber functioning to continuously form water introduced therein into ice which fills the annular space between the inner surface of said chamber and an auger mounted therein, the rotating helical auger blade push- ;ing said cylindrical ice mass upwardly out of the upper end of the chamber where it is intercepted by said transverse bolts and broken into a plurality of pieces thereby, the continued rotation of said auger blade causing said formed ice pieces to ibe forcibly directed through said elongated tube to a desired location, one of said interchangeable augers having a helical lblade thereon with an upper end which terminates below the iupper end of the freezing chamber, thereby pennitting the ice {to remain in said freezing chamber a sufficient length of time gto become extremely hard and substantially devoid of water in a liquid state before said ice is formed upwardly out of the |freezing chamber by said auger blade, another of said in- :terchangeable augers having a blade thereon with its upper jterminus located above the upper end of said freezing chamber, whereby the ice column is forced out of said freeziing chamber relatively quickly, and in a soft, slushy state, and

with its upper terminus located between the extremes of said !other two auger assemblies, whereby the ice formed thereby is of intermediate hardness, said augers being interchangeably lmountable in the machine to produce ice pieces of desired ghardness and water content, depending upon the requirements iof the particular user. 7

2. The ice-producing machine recited in claim 1 wherein an auger assembly characterized by an auger body of reduced diameter is mountable therein, thereby providing an increased annular space between said auger body and the cylinder wall which results in the production of thicker ice pieces. m H

3. The ice-providing machine recited in claim 1 wherein an auger assembly characterized by an auger body of greater diameter is mountable therein, thereby providing a decreased annular space between said auger body and the cylinder wall i L V v 7 which results in the production of thinner ice pieces. 1

4. A machine for producing ice, comprising: a housing con-i taining a cylindrical freezing chamber having a lower end and an upper, discharge end; a coiled refrigerant conduit sur-l rounding said freezing chamber having a water inlet adjacent; the lower end of said chamber, said housing being adapted tol have an auger removably axially rotatably mounted therein; a} plurality of individually mountable and interchangeable auger} assemblies removably mountable within said cylindrical chamber, each of said auger assemblies including a body por-I tion of substantially lesser diameter than the inner diameter of i said freezing chamber to provide an annular space therebetween; a helical blade on each of said auger bodies of a diameter slightly less than the chamber inner diameter; power drive means operatively connectable to and adapted to rotatably drive said augers at a predetermined speed; inwardly projecting icebreaking means on the freezing chamber upper end portion, said freezing chamber functionin to continu-- ously form water introduced therein into ice WhlC fills the annular space between the inner surface of said chamber and an auger mounted therein, the rotating helical auger blade pushing said cylindrical ice mass upwardly out of the upper end of the chamber where it is intercepted by said icebreaking means.

and broken into a plurality of pieces thereby, the continued rotation of said auger blade causing said formed ice pieces to be forcibly discharged from said housing, one of said interchangeable augers having a helical blade thereon with an upper end which terminates below the upper end of the freezing chamber, thereby permitting the ice to remain in said freezing chamber a sufiicient length of time to become extremely hard and substantially devoid of water in a liquid state before said ice is forced upwardly out of the freezing chamber by said auger blade, another of said interchangeable augers: having a blade thereon with its upper terminus located above the upper end of said freezing chamber, whereby the ice sqlsms sfitsss out .9! s j ss iss.fisalisrts vs x and in a soft, slushy state, and another of said interchangeable augers having a blade thereon with its upper terminus located between the extremes of said other two auger assemblies, whereby the ice formed thereby is of intermediate hardness, said augers being interchangeably mountable in the machine to produce ice pieces of desired hardness and water content, depending upon the requirements of the {particular user. I I

5. The ice-producing machine recited in claim 4 wherein an auger assembly characterized by an auger body of reduced diameter is mountable therein, thereby providing an increased annular space between said auger body and the cylinder wall which results in the productionof thicker ice pieces,

6. The ice-producing machine recited in claim 4 wherein an iauger assembly characterized by an auger body of greater diameter is mountable therein, thereby providing a decreased "annular space between said auger body and the cylinder wall which results in the production of thinner ice pieces. W

7. The ice-producing machine recited in claim 4 wherein said icebreaking means comprises a plurality of peripherally spaced bolts projecting laterally inwardly through the upper portion of said housing and positioned to intercept the ascending ice mass. g 7

8. The ice-producing machine recited in claim 4 and including a tube mounted on the upper end of said housing adapted to direct the discharged ice pieces to a desired location W quickly,

QT'The ice-producing machine recited in claim 8 wherein said tube is elongated and formed of a flexible material, whereby said ice pieces can l directed to a remotglocation.

10. The ice-producing machine recited in claim 9 wherein said machine is adapted to be mounted at an angle from the vertical to minimize bends or kinks in said elongated tube and to thereby facilitate the unimpeded passage of the ice pieces therethrough. 

1. A machine for automatically producing either chipped, flaked, or snow ice, or ice nuggets, comprising: a cylindrical housing containing a freezing chamber having a coiled refrigerant conduit surrounding said freezing chamber, and having a water inlet adjacent the lower end of said chamber, said housing being adapted to have an auger removably axially rotatably mounted therein; a plurality of individually mountable and interchangeable auger assemblies removably mountable within said cylindrical housing, each of said auger assemblies including a body portion of substantially lesser diameter than the inner diameter of said freezing chamber to provide an annular space therebetween, a helical blade on each of said auger bodies of a diameter slightly less than the chamber inner diameter, said auger assemblies including an upper shaft portion of reduced diameter projecting above said freezing chamber and a lower shaft portion extending below said housing; power drive and reduction gear means operatively connectable to the lower, projecting portion of said auger shafts adapted to rotatably drive said augers at a predetermined speed; a journal cap mountable in surrounding relation over the upper, projecting end of said auger shafts, said shaft ends being rotatably journaled therein; a plurality of bolts spaced around the periphery of said housing upper end and adapted to project transversely therethrough to removably retain said cAp in position; and an elongated tube mounted on the top of said housing, said freezing chamber functioning to continuously form water introduced therein into ice which fills the annular space between the inner surface of said chamber and an auger mounted therein, the rotating helical auger blade pushing said cylindrical ice mass upwardly out of the upper end of the chamber where it is intercepted by said transverse bolts and broken into a plurality of pieces thereby, the continued rotation of said auger blade causing said formed ice pieces to be forcibly directed through said elongated tube to a desired location, one of said interchangeable augers having a helical blade thereon with an upper end which terminates below the upper end of the freezing chamber, thereby permitting the ice to remain in said freezing chamber a sufficient length of time to become extremely hard and substantially devoid of water in a liquid state before said ice is formed upwardly out of the freezing chamber by said auger blade, another of said interchangeable augers having a blade thereon with its upper terminus located above the upper end of said freezing chamber, whereby the ice column is forced out of said freezing chamber relatively quickly, and in a soft, slushy state, and another of said interchangeable augers having a blade thereon with its upper terminus located between the extremes of said other two auger assemblies, whereby the ice formed thereby is of intermediate hardness, said augers being interchangeably mountable in the machine to produce ice pieces of desired hardness and water content, depending upon the requirements of the particular user.
 2. The ice-producing machine recited in claim 1 wherein an auger assembly characterized by an auger body of reduced diameter is mountable therein, thereby providing an increased annular space between said auger body and the cylinder wall which results in the production of thicker ice pieces.
 3. The ice-providing machine recited in claim 1 wherein an auger assembly characterized by an auger body of greater diameter is mountable therein, thereby providing a decreased annular space between said auger body and the cylinder wall which results in the production of thinner ice pieces.
 4. A machine for producing ice, comprising: a housing containing a cylindrical freezing chamber having a lower end and an upper, discharge end; a coiled refrigerant conduit surrounding said freezing chamber having a water inlet adjacent the lower end of said chamber, said housing being adapted to have an auger removably axially rotatably mounted therein; a plurality of individually mountable and interchangeable auger assemblies removably mountable within said cylindrical chamber, each of said auger assemblies including a body portion of substantially lesser diameter than the inner diameter of said freezing chamber to provide an annular space therebetween; a helical blade on each of said auger bodies of a diameter slightly less than the chamber inner diameter; power drive means operatively connectable to and adapted to rotatably drive said augers at a predetermined speed; inwardly projecting icebreaking means on the freezing chamber upper end portion, said freezing chamber functioning to continuously form water introduced therein into ice which fills the annular space between the inner surface of said chamber and an auger mounted therein, the rotating helical auger blade pushing said cylindrical ice mass upwardly out of the upper end of the chamber where it is intercepted by said icebreaking means and broken into a plurality of pieces thereby, the continued rotation of said auger blade causing said formed ice pieces to be forcibly discharged from said housing, one of said interchangeable augers having a helical blade thereon with an upper end which terminates below the upper end of the freezing chamber, thereby permitting the ice to remain in said freezing chamber a sufficient length of time to become extremely hard and substantially devoid of water in a liquid staTe before said ice is forced upwardly out of the freezing chamber by said auger blade, another of said interchangeable augers having a blade thereon with its upper terminus located above the upper end of said freezing chamber, whereby the ice column is forced out of said freezing chamber relatively quickly, and in a soft, slushy state, and another of said interchangeable augers having a blade thereon with its upper terminus located between the extremes of said other two auger assemblies, whereby the ice formed thereby is of intermediate hardness, said augers being interchangeably mountable in the machine to produce ice pieces of desired hardness and water content, depending upon the requirements of the particular user.
 5. The ice-producing machine recited in claim 4 wherein an auger assembly characterized by an auger body of reduced diameter is mountable therein, thereby providing an increased annular space between said auger body and the cylinder wall which results in the production of thicker ice pieces.
 6. The ice-producing machine recited in claim 4 wherein an auger assembly characterized by an auger body of greater diameter is mountable therein, thereby providing a decreased annular space between said auger body and the cylinder wall which results in the production of thinner ice pieces.
 7. The ice-producing machine recited in claim 4 wherein said icebreaking means comprises a plurality of peripherally spaced bolts projecting laterally inwardly through the upper portion of said housing and positioned to intercept the ascending ice mass.
 8. The ice-producing machine recited in claim 4 and including a tube mounted on the upper end of said housing adapted to direct the discharged ice pieces to a desired location.
 9. The ice-producing machine recited in claim 8 wherein said tube is elongated and formed of a flexible material, whereby said ice pieces can be directed to a remote location.
 10. The ice-producing machine recited in claim 9 wherein said machine is adapted to be mounted at an angle from the vertical to minimize bends or kinks in said elongated tube and to thereby facilitate the unimpeded passage of the ice pieces therethrough. 